Tinya Wazzo and the Seven Little Legionnaires
by Daniel Fielder
Summary: To escape her jealous step-mother, Princess Tinya finds shelter in the home of seven orphans.
1. I'm Wishing

I was inspired to do this by Jsrashad's Snow White and the Seven Peanuts project.

Disclaimer: Snow White belongs to Disney, and Legion of Superheroes, and any other DC characters I use, belong to Warner Brothers and their respective creators.

* * *

 **Tinya Wazzo and the Seven Little Legionnaires**

Chapter 1: I'm Wishing

Once upon a time, the queen of a humble but prosperous kingdom on the planet Bgztl was knitting by the window. She was knitting an outfit for her expected second child.

"I cannot wait to tend to a baby again." The queen said.

As the queen continued to knit, she pricked her finger, and a drop of red blood fell on a small white banister she was sitting near with black lining. She liked how it looked together.

"How lovely my child would be if she had skin as perfectly colored as this banister, like snow, with ebony-black hair… And blood-red lips."

Shortly after this wish, her daughter was born, but the queen used a good deal too much of her strength to bring the child into the world, so she only had enough strength to see that she was exactly how she dreamed she'd look, and she named her Tinya. Shortly afterwards, the king, Byzjn, died as well, and Tinya was raised by her father's second wife, now the Queen of Bgztl.

Tinya was lovely and full of life and laughter and very in tune with her emotions. Her step-mother Falyce, however, feared that one day, Tinya's beauty would surpass her own. Because of this, she usually dressed Tinya in rags except for very special occasions where she couldn't afford to without appearing weak to her allies. Despite this, Tinya still enjoyed life and dreamed of the day she'd find the man she would love.

Every day, Falyce went to a magic mirror she'd bought after her husband's death and asked, "Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of all?" And as long as the mirror replied that she was the fairest, Tinya would live for another day, safe from her step-mother's jealousy…

()()()()()

Falyce walked over to the mirror. It had been ten years since her husband's death when she ascended to the throne of Bgztl, and she enjoyed it immensely. It was time for her daily check to make sure she was still on top of the beauty game. She could tell sixteen years ago when she first met Tinya that she could not afford to let her subjects decide they liked Tinya better than her. They might overthrow her… Or worse, take her off their money!

She arrived at the mirror and raised her hands as she recited the incantation.

"Slade, slave of the magic mirror, come from the farthest space." Falyce recited as she crossed her arms. "Through wind and darkness, I summon thee. Speak! Let me see thy face."

In a burst of flames, the face of Slade appeared… If you could call it a face as only a mask with a moving eye appeared. The mask was black on the right side, orange on the other. The eye stared blankly at her.

"What wouldst thou know, my queen?" Slade asked in his usual monotone voice.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall," Falyce recited. "Who is the fairest of them all?"

"Famed is thy beauty, majesty." Slade responded as his eyes widened slightly. "But hold… A lovely maid I see. Rags cannot hide her gentle grace. Alas, she is more fair than thee."

"Alas for _her_!" Falyce spat out as her eyes glowed green. "What's her name?!"

"Lips red as the rose." Slade responded calmly. "Hair black as ebony. Skin white as a snow."

"Tinya!" Falyce said through her teeth as green smoke emitted from her eyes.

()()()()()

Tinya was washing the stairs of the palace as she hummed to herself. She was almost done, and she was happy for her good life. True she had to work every day, but it had helped keep her strong, and she knew that when she got married, she'd be able to have a family again. She had missed that part of her life when she had a father _and_ a mother. She had made friends with all the other planetary ambassadors that lived on the planet.

She finished the stairs and sighed contentedly as she picked up the pail and prepared to put it back in the well as several Do-Birds, small white birds that appeared throughout the palace, watched her. She put the pail in and looked at them.

"Wanna hear a secret?" Tinya asked.

The Do-Birds nodded. Tinya had a way with animals. They were her closest friends here.

"Promise not to tell?" Tinya asked again, and the doves shook their heads.

" _We are standing by a wishing well._ "

Tinya then pointed at the hole in the well.

 _Make a wish into the well,_

 _That's all you have to do._

 _And if you hear it echoing,_

 _Your wish will soon come true._

Tinya then put her head near the well.

 _I'm wishing… (I'm wishing…)_

 _For the one I love,_

 _To find me… (To find me…)_

 _Today. (Today.)_

 _I'm hoping… (I'm hoping…)_

 _And I'm dreaming of,_

 _The nice things… (The nice things…)_

 _He'll say. (He'll say.)_

Had Tinya known it, that day, a person from a planet called Zuun was passing by the palace when he heard Tinya singing. His name was Brin, and he had been helping his friends, the Legion of Superheroes, save the Earth ambassador from an assassination attempt by a jealous aid. Brin thought it was the nicest, sweetest voice he'd ever heard and hopped over the wall to see who it was and saw a girl, the prettiest one he'd ever seen, and her kind nature, which he could easily see on her face in the way her eyes looked in conjunction with her mouth's movements, only made her more beautiful.

Tinya continued singing as the well echoed back.

 _Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha. (Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha.)_

 _Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha. (Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha.)_

 _Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha. (Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha.)_

 _Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!_

 _I'm wishing… (I'm wishing…)_

 _For the one I love,_

 _To find me… (To find me…)_

 _Today._

" _Today!_ " Brin sang out as he appeared next to Tinya.

"Oh!" Tinya exclaimed as she jumped back. The boy had caught her by surprise, and it wasn't helped by the fact he looked like a humanoid wolf.

"Hello." The boy said. "My name is Brin. I didn't frighten you, did I?"

Tinya ran off as she didn't want someone she'd just met to see her in her work clothes.

"Wait." Brin called out. "Wait please! Don't run away."

Tinya ran into the castle, but Brin called out.

 _Now that I've found you,_

 _Hear what I have to say!_

Tinya then walked out against her first instinct and listened.

 _One song, I have but one song._

 _One song, only for you._

Tinya swooned and tidied herself up as best as she could.

 _One heart, steadily beating._

 _Constant and true!_

Tinya looked down and found herself falling in love with him as he fell in love with her.

 _One love that has possessed me._

 _One love, brimming with truth._

 _One song, my hear keeps singing._

 _Of one love, only for you._

Tinya smiled and flew down as she kissed Brin gently on his cheek.

"I'm Tinya." Tinya said. "I hope that I see you again."

"Me too." Brin said. He kissed her hand and went off.

()()()()()

Unknown to either lover, Falyce watched from a high up window and scowled. Tinya would pay for putting her at number two.

* * *

Well… This idea just came with me, so I went with it. Please tell me what ya think.


	2. With a Smile and a Song

Chapter Two: With a Smile and a Song

Shortly after Tinya met Brinn, Falyce was talking to the Thanagarian ambassador, Katar Hol, who had sworn to serve her as part of a pact she made to help the Thanagarians with their war against the Gordanians.

"Take her far into the forests of Earth." Falyce said. "Find a nice secluded place where she can pick wild flowers."

"Yes your majesty." Katar said.

"And there, my faithful friend, you will _kill_ her." Falyce said with a mad glint in her eyes.

"But your majesty, the little princess-" Katar argued before Falyce stood up, and her eyes glowed green.

"SILENCE!" Falyce ordered. "You know the penalty if you fail."

The penalty would be that Katar's wife, Shayera, and their family would all be executed, and Katar would be forced to watch.

"Yes… Your majesty…" Katar said in a defeated voice.

"And just to make sure that you don't fail, bring back her heart in this." Falyce pulled out a red box with golden trim. The lock was a golden heart with a golden dagger cutting into it.

()()()()()

A few days later, Katar took Tinya to Earth, where he was known as Hawkman for the hawk-like wings sprouting out of his back. Tinya was walking through a forest on Earth that she had never been to, and she was excited about all the lovely flowers there. She also hoped that she'd meet Brinn there before she had to go back home.

 _One song, I have but one song._

 _One song, only for you._

She hummed the song he sang to her, their song, to herself as she picked as many wild flowers as she could carry. Suddenly, she saw a small blue bird chirping not far off.

"Oh hello there." Tinya said as she turned to the baby bird. "What's the matter?"

The bird chirped fearfully, and Tinya recognized it as the fears of a lost child.

"Where are your mother and father? Are you lost?" Tinya asked, and the bird began to cry. "Oh, please don't cry. Come on, cheer up. Won't you smile for me?"

The bird chirped happily.

"That's better." Tinya said encouragingly. "Your mother and father can't be far away. Oh, there they are. Good-bye little one. Good-bye."

The bird flew off to his parents as Tinya smiled.

()()()()()

Katar meanwhile, pulled out his Nth Metal Axe and held it loosely as he walked to Tinya. Just after Tinya helped the bird find his parents, Katar raised his axe as Tinya turned around and screamed. She prepared to defend herself as best she could against the axe, but she knew that, even intangible, the axe would cleave her in two when Katar dropped his axe.

"I can't." Katar said. "I can't do it. Forgive me, your highness. I beg you."

Katar fell to his knees and bowed his head.

"I don't understand." Tinya said in a confused voice.

"She's mad." Katar said. "Jealous of you! She'll stop at nothing!"

"Who?" Tinya asked.

"The queen!" Katar said.

"The queen?" Tinya said. How could her step-mother do such a terrible thing?

"Run for it, child!" Katar said. "Run! Go away and hide in the woods! Anywhere, just never come back! Go!" Tinya still stood there nervously. "GO!"

Tinya flew off into the forest as Katar picked up his axe and walked to a nearby wild boar. He'd give the queen something alright.

()()()()()

Tinya ran into the woods, and in her panicked state, every tree seemed to have eyes, and their branches were clawed hands trying to reach out and grab her! She eventually fell down into a pond, and when she got up, she saw two logs that seemed to be alligators and ran out where she was surrounded by frightening trees that starred at her darkly before she screamed and fell crying. She couldn't muster the courage or confidence she needed to phase through them. It was all over.

()()()()()

As she cried, she realized something, no one was attacking her. She looked up to find that it was still daylight, and the eyes were simply the animals of the forest. She had learned all about them in her studies, so she could recognize the squirrels, the dear, and the birds. When a rabbit came up to her, she startled at the creature rubbing its nose next to her face, and they scattered.

"Oh, don't go away." Tinya said as she felt her confidence return. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. I was just surprised. I was very frightened, and all because I was being afraid of things that weren't really scary. I'm so ashamed over the fuss that I have made. What do you do when things go wrong?"

The birds tweeted.

"Ooh!" Tinya said happily. "You sing a song!"

The birds chirped a yes.

" _Ah-ha-ha, ha, ha._ " Tinya sang, and the baby bird she'd helped before sang along.

 _Ah-ha-ha, ha, ha._

 _Ahhh… Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ha._

The bird tried to follow along again, but he failed to hit Tinya's high notes, but Tinya just chuckled happily.

 _With a smile and a song,_

 _Life is just like a bright sunny day._

 _Your cares fade away._

 _And your heart is young._

 _With a smile and a song,_

 _All the world seems to waken anew,_

 _Rejoices with you._

 _As the sung is sung._

More animals came out to listen to Tinya's singing. A chipmunk came up and rested on Tinya's lap.

 _There's no use in grumbling_

 _When raindrops come tumbling._

 _Remember, you're the one_

 _Who can fill the world with sunshine._

She then petted a faun that had come up, and the rabbit who had come up to her before laid his head down on her legs.

 _When you smile and you sing,_

 _Everything is in tune and it's spring_

 _And life flows along,_

 _With a smile and a song._

The animals then all cheered, and Tinya felt that maybe things would not be so bad for her now.

* * *

That was fun.


	3. Whistle While You Work

Chapter Three: Whistle While You Work

"I really feel quite happy now." Tinya said with a smile. "I'm sure I'll get along somehow. Everything's going to be alright… But I do need a place to sleep at night."

She petted the bunny by her leg.

"I can't sleep in the ground like you." Tinya said. She then looked at the squirrels. "Or in a tree like you do, and I'm sure I could never fit in a bird's nest." Then she got a brilliant idea! "Maybe you know where I could stay in these woods!"

The birds and other animals all made their respective ways of saying yes.

"You do?!" Tinya said with a smile. She wasn't sure if that would really work. "Will you take me there?"

The birds and dear then led Tinya to a small cabin as Tinya flew there to make it easier to keep up. When she saw the cabin, she noticed that it looked quite modest.

"Oh it's adorable!" Tinya said in delight. "It looks just like a house for dolls!"

Tinya then walked up to the house.

"I like it here." Tinya then looked into the window, but she couldn't make out anything inside. "It's dark in there."

Tinya then knocked. Nothing happened. Maybe no one heard her. She knocked again, but there still wasn't an answer.

"Well, I guess there's nothing for it." Tinya said as she tested the door knob and found it unlocked. "Oh."

She went in with the animals.

"Hello?" She called out. No one answered. "I guess no one is being home."

Tinya walked around and figured that she could just stay and wait for the people to come home. She noticed several toys on the ground and thought, _Maybe I could be their nanny and take care of their child… Or children._

Tinya then squealed with delight as she saw a small chair. She looked down at it as the animals came in too.

"What a cute little chair!" Tinya said. She then noticed that there were several more. "Wait a moment, there are seven little chairs. There must be seven little children here." She then looked at a very messy table with cups, plates, and all manner of left over garbage on the table. "And from the look of the table seven untidy little children."

She walked over and saw what was on there.

"Toys at the table." Tinya said as she picked up a small bat-shaped boomerang small enough for a ten-year-old to play with. She then saw a sock. "A sock too?!" Tinya then opened a pot and took out, "A shoe?"

Tinya whistled with the birds. She then walked to the fire place.

"Covered in dust, of course." Tinya blew, and several chipmunks sneezed. "And cobwebs everywhere. A pile of dirty dishes in the sink, and just look at that broom!"

The broom laid there as if it hadn't ever been used.

"I doubt they've ever swept this room." Tinya said. "You'd think their mother would-" Then she stopped as she realized something. "Maybe they don't have a mother. Then they'd be orphans. Oh, those poor little children. Maybe we should clean the house, and surprise them when they come back from… Whatever they're doing… Then maybe they will let me stay."

Tinya then looked around, and her new friends did as well.

"Alright, squirrels, you wash the dishes." Tinya said. "And rabbits, tidy up the room. Deer, clean the fireplace, and I'll use the broom."

The birds then whistled to commence the large project Tinya had suggested.

 _Just whistle while you work._

 _And cheerfully together we can tidy up this place._

 _So hum a merry tune._

 _It won't take long when there's a song to help us set the pace._

The singing actually did keep everyone lively enough to keep on track. Tinya was easily sweeping the room and flying up to deal with the cobwebs. The squirrels used rags and their own tails to wash the dishes, and the dear used their tails to dust the fireplace, and the stags used their antlers to help the smaller animals make Starfire's job easier by dusting the walls and everywhere they could reach.

 _And as you sweep the room_

 _Imagine that the broom is someone that you love_

 _And soon you'll find you're dancing to the tune._

"Oh, no, no." Tinya said as one of the fauns was trying to clean a plate by licking it. "Those go in the tub."

Tinya then handed a plate to the squirrel, and he put it there.

"Why don't you help your parents?" Tinya asked.

The dear smiled and cleaned the fire place with his mother.

As a rabbit was pushing dirt under the rug, Tinya caught them.

"Nah-uh." Tinya said kindly but firmly. "Pushing dirt under a rug isn't cleaning."

The rabbits then moved the rub and pushed the dirt out of the house.

"Yes, that is much better." Tinya said with a smile as she scratched behind the rabbit's ear.

Tinya and a few of the squirrels then got to work cleaning a large organ. She figured she could learn to play it for the children. The birds then brought in flowers to liven up the room and used a pouch they'd brought to water the flowers.

With the house cleaned up, everyone then helped put away the clothes and the toys. As the toys were put away, the stag helped Tinya take the clothes she couldn't carry, which wasn't very much, and she and several raccoons began washing the clothes, and Starfire hung them to dry. She noticed that they were very odd clothes. One shirt was blue with yellow lightning designs on it. There was a long red cloth that Tinya figured must be for drying the children off. She shrugged and guessed that they had a range of different tastes in clothing.

 _So whistle while you work._

After finishing cleaning, Tinya relaxed by the wall and found a book entitled, _The Magician's Nephew_ by someone named CS Lewis.

* * *

Is there anything Disney animals can't do?


	4. Heigh-Ho

Chapter 4: Heigh-Ho

In a cave deep in the mountains, seven children were working to get some precious stones to be able to survive in the world. Originally, they were part of the Legion of Superheroes, literally, they were parts of the members, but after a prank by Zyx, magical clones of the Legion were created at very early ages.

The leaders were child forms of Lightning Lad, Superboy, Saturn Girl, and Cosmic Boy. They were physically ten but held the same memories as their adult counterparts far away in the city of New Metropolis. Right under them was a nine-year-old version of the hero known as Brainiac 5 and an eight-year-old version of the hero Shrinking Violet. At the bottom of the chain of command was a seven-year-old version of Chameleon Boy. They still wore the same outfits their adult selves wore, but they were obviously smaller and slimmer. To make things go by quicker, and to stop Beast Boy from complaining, they sang a work song, which only Lightning Lad objected to.

 _We dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig_

 _In our mine the whole day through._

 _To dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig_

 _Is what we have to do._

" _It's not a trick._ " Superboy said as he used his heat vision to easily cut through the walls. " _You get rich quick._ "

" _If you dig-dig-dig with a shovel or a pick._ " Lightning Lad said as he dug out a diamond the size of Albert Einstein's brain.

" _In a mine._ " Brainiac 5 said as his echo repeated, " _In a mine._ "

" _In a mine!_ " Saturn Girl repeated as she liked the way the echo sounded. " _In a mine!_ "

 _Where a million diamonds…_

 _Shine!_

As they blinked in wonder, Shrinking Violet was driving a cart while she was reading a book called _The Once and Future King_.

 _We dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig_

 _From morning until night._

Shrinking Violet saw a fly buzzing around and smashed him.

 _We dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig_

 _Up everything in sight._

Shrinking Violet then dropped the diamonds in front of Cosmic Boy, who used his abilities to see how good the diamonds were. If they weren't good, he'd toss them on the floor.

 _We dig up diamonds by the score._

 _Diamonds rubies sometimes more._

 _And we're not sure what we dig them for._

 _We dig-dig-diggity-dig._

Chameleon Boy's job was to sweep up the rejects and throw them in a landfill. As he watched Cosmic Boy observe a very large diamond, he picked up two of them. A few minutes later, he tugged on Cosmic Boy's sleeve, and he turned around to see Chameleon Boy with the diamonds in his eyes. Cosmic Boy then knocked the diamonds out with a slight thump on the head.

Cosmic Boy then looked at the clock to see that it was already five in the afternoon.

" _Heigh-ho!_ " Cosmic Boy called as a way to sound the end of the day.

" _Heigh-ho!_ " Everyone called back to show they heard. They then headed back home.

 _Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho!_

They then walked off with about three diamonds each to tide them over for a while.

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's home from work we go._

The rest of the diamonds were then put into a safe as Chameleon Boy put the key in his pocket to keep safe until the next day.

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's home from work we go._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho, hum._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's home from work we go._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho,_

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's home from work we go._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho,_

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's home from work we go._

 _Heigh-ho, heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho, heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho._

* * *

Yeah, that's what I'm using for the dwarves. Deal with it.

No flaming if you don't like it by the way.


	5. Meeting Tinya

Chapter 5: Meeting Tinya

As night fell, the animals returned to their home except for a few birds and the family of deer.

"Let's see what's upstairs." Tinya said, and she went up to find a bedroom with seven beds. "Oh what adorable beds, and they have their names carved on them." Tinya then proceeded to read the names. "'Cosmic Boy' 'Saturn Girl' 'Superboy' 'Chameleon Boy'" Tinya giggled good-naturedly. "What funny names for children. 'Lightning Lad', 'Brainiac 5', and 'Shrinking Violet'." Tinya then yawned. "I better hit the hay."

Tinya then laid down across Saturn Girl, Superboy, and Chameleon Boy's beds as the deer went to sleep on the floor. The birds then put the candle out with their tails and covered Tinya up before flying down stairs.

Suddenly, the deer were awakened by the sounds of people coming, and they returned to the forest for fear of being attacked by the cottage's inhabitants.

()()()()()

The group returned home as Cosmic Boy led the way by having Lightning Lad use his powers as a flashlight.

"Look!" Cosmic Boy suddenly said as he stopped abruptly and everyone slammed into him. "Our house. The light's lit!"

Everyone then snuck to the side and looked at the house.

"Jiminy Cricket." Chameleon Boy said in a low whisper as he looked.

"The door's open." Cosmic Boy pointed out as light was coming through the doorway.

"Looks like smokes coming from the chimney." Brainiac 5 said.

"Something's in there." Superboy remarked.

"You don't think it's Zyx, do you?" Saturn Girl asked.

"Could be anything." Brainiac 5 said.

"It's definitely human sized, but I can't tell exactly what it is." Superboy said as he used his x-ray vision to look into the house.

"Oh man, we're in trouble." Brainiac 5 said.

"Either way, something's up." Lightning Lad said. "We better approach it carefully."

"How?" Chameleon Boy asked.

"Let's sneak up on it." Saturn Girl said.

"Right." Cosmic Boy said. "Follow me."

They nervously snuck to the house and went inside. Cosmic Boy slowly opened the door which appeared to creek louder than it normally did, but they just put that off to nerves. They then tip-toed in as Chameleon Boy slammed the door shut.

"SHH!" They all hissed at Chameleon Boy.

"SHH!" Chameleon Boy hissed at the door.

"We better search every nook and cranny." Cosmic Boy said.

"Yeah, and we should search everywhere too." Chameleon Boy said, which earned him a slap from Shrinking Violet.

"Ouch!" Chameleon Boy exclaimed.

"Guys, be quiet." Lightning Lad hissed.

As Cosmic Boy, Superboy, and Shrinking Violet checked one area of the house, Cosmic Boy looked down and gasped.

"Look at the floor!" Cosmic Boy called out in surprise. "It's been swept!"

"Who on Earth would break into a house to sweep a floor?" Shrinking Violet asked incredulously.

Lightning Lad rubbed a finger against one of the chairs at the table and looked.

"The chair's been dusted." He observed.

"The windows are all washed." Saturn Girl stated.

"No cobwebs anywhere." Brainiac 5 stated.

"The whole place is cleaner than an operating room." Cosmic Boy said in surprise.

"Someone's definitely been in here." Lightning Lad said. "We're lucky if we manage to clean the place once a week, and we never get it this clean. There's dirty work a foot."

"The sink's empty." Superboy said as he looked inside with Shrinking Violet. "Guys, someone stole our dishes."

"No they didn't!" Saturn Girl said exasperatedly. "They just cleaned them and put them in the cupboard."

"Yeash, if we end up finding that Courtney Cox lady from Friends, I'm gonna laugh." Shrinking Violet said.

"Hey, they washed my cup!" Brainiac 5 groaned as he ran his finger around it. "No more sugar!"

"Good." Shrinking Violet said. "The last thing we need is you all hopped up on sugar again."

Saturn Girl and Chameleon Boy approached a bubbling pot.

"Something's cooking in there." Saturn Girl said as she sniffed. "And it smells pretty good."

Saturn Girl made to grab a ladle when Lightning Lad grabbed her hand and pulled her away.

"Are you stupid?!" Lightning Lad asked. "That could be poison!"

As if on cue, the pot hissed.

"AHH!" Chameleon Boy exclaimed as he turned into a chicken.

"Why do I bother?" Lightning Lad said.

Cosmic Boy then drew everyone's attention to the table.

"Look what happened to the table!" Cosmic Boy said as Brainiac 5 picked up some golden rods that were there.

"Hey cool, flowers." Brainiac 5 said. "Look at this Sup, golden rods."

"Oh no!" Superboy said as his nose began to get stuffed up. "My nose, I've had hay fever for the last few weeks! You know I can't stand it, Brainy! I ca- I coo- I c-"

"HIT THE DECK!" Lightning Lad called out. As Chameleon Boy, Brainiac 5, and Shrinking Violet ducked, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, and Cosmic Boy held their fingers to his nose.

"Phew." Superboy said. "Thanks guys… AH CHOO!"

The other six were then blown into the wall.

"Sweet Titan!" Saturn Girl exclaimed before she put her hand over her mouth. "Please pardon my language."

"A very fine time you picked to sneeze!" Lightning Lad whispered angrily at Superboy, his best friend.

"I couldn't help it!" Superboy whispered back. "When you've gotta, you've gotta… Uh-oh. I've gotta again.

"GRAB HIM!" Lightning Lad called out. They pounced on Superboy and tied his cape around his nose, which served to muffle his sneeze and stop any more accidental super-breaths.

"Thanks." Superboy said. Everyone's first thought was that he looked like that member of the Justice League called Vigilante.

"We've gotta keep quiet." Lightning Lad said. "We could all end up messing with Zyx if we're not careful."

They then heard an odd sound from upstairs.

"Whatever's in here is up there." Cosmic Boy said.

"In the bedrooms." Saturn Girl said.

"Uh-oh." Chameleon Boy exclaimed.

"Someone's gotta go up and chase whatever's up there down." Cosmic Boy said.

They all nodded their heads, and six of them looked at Chameleon Boy as he looked behind him before remembering that there were only seven of them.

"Me?" Chameleon Boy asked in a squeaky whisper.

Chameleon Boy tried to creep off before he was grabbed by Lightning Lad and Superboy. They then pulled him in front of Cosmic Boy as he held up a flash light that he'd turned on and was shaking as bad as Chameleon Boy.

"Here." Cosmic Boy said nervously. "Take it. Don't be nervous."

Cosmic Boy then mustered his own courage and put the flash light in Chameleon Boy's hand and shoved him up the stairs. At the landed outside of the bedrooms, Chameleon Boy turned around to look at the others several steps below him.

"Don't be afraid." Cosmic Boy said. "We're right behind you."

"Yeah." They all said. "Right behind you."

"Mm." Chameleon Boy said nervously as he walked up and entered the bed room. In the light of the flash light, Chameleon Boy saw something groan sleepily as it stretched underneath several sheets.

"AHHHHH!" Chameleon Boy called out and ran down the stairs.

"Here it comes!" Lightning Lad said as he got an attack ready before they were all bowled over by something, and they ran straight out of the door. Chameleon Boy then tried to follow, but the door wouldn't open.

"It's trying to get out!" Cosmic Boy screamed!

"Don't let it out!" Lightning Lad said calmly.

"Hold it shut!" Superboy added.

This added greatly to Chameleon Boy's fears that the creature and woken up. He didn't dare look behind him and tried harder to open the door until the door knob broke off, and Chameleon Boy fell into several pots and pans that landed all over him. Now sure that the creature had woken up, he ran for his life right out the door. This was the scariest night of his life!

()()()()()

Outside the cottage, everyone waited in the trees for the creature, whatever it was, to attack. They pounced down on what appeared to be some kind of metal creature and kept attacking until John realized something.

"Hold on guys!" Cosmic Boy shouted. "It's only Chameleon Boy."

"Yeah, it's only-D'oh!" Chameleon Boy exclaimed as Shrinking Violet hit him again with her stick. "What was that for?!"

"Scaring me for no good reason!" Shrinking Violet retorted.

"Did you see it?" Superboy asked?

"Yeah!" Chameleon Boy said panting.

"How big is it?" Saturn Girl asked.

"Huge!"

"What was it?" Lightning Lad asked.

"A dragon!" Chameleon Boy said as the creature was large enough to be.

"Has it got horns?" Superboy asked.

"Yeah!"

"Was it breathing fire?" Cosmic Boy asked.

"Yeah!" Chameleon Boy said.

"Was it drooling?" Brainiac 5 asked.

"Yeah!" Chameleon Boy said.

"Stop saying yeah and tell us what it was doing!" Shrinking Violet shouted.

"It was sleeping." Chameleon Boy said.

"A monster's asleep in our beds?!" Cosmic Boy exclaimed.

"Let's get it while it's sleeping." Lightning Lad proposed.

"Good idea." Saturn Girl said.

"Let's go!" Superboy proclaimed and they went off.

They made it back to the bedroom and opened the door to see the thing yawning again, and it was covering Superboy, Saturn Girl, and Chameleon Boy's beds.

"Great Krypton!" Superboy exclaimed.

"Heaven above!" Saturn Girl added.

"What a monster." Superboy said.

"No kidding." Brainiac 5 replied. "It's covering three beds."

"Let's get it before it wakes up!" Cosmic Boy whispered.

"Which end do we get?" Saturn Girl asked, but everyone shushed her.

They then surrounded the creature and prepared to fight when Cosmic Boy lifted the sheet, and they all stopped.

It wasn't a monster. It was a very lovely girl. With black hair, and she was in a white outfit.

"By Braal!" Cosmic Boy exclaimed.

"What is it?" Saturn Girl asked.

"It's a Bgtzlian girl." John said.

"She's really pretty." Superboy said.

"She looks like an angel." Brainiac 5 said.

"Angel?" Lightning Lad said. "She's a Bgtzlian, and she's on Earth. What would someone like her be doing here?"

"Shh!" Cosmic Boy said. "You'll wake her up."

"Let her wake up then." Lightning Lad said. "She's trespassing."

"Hey, she's moving!" Superboy said nervously.

"She's waking up!" Saturn Girl said.

"What do we do?!" Superboy asked.

"Hide!" Cosmic Boy said, and they ducked down as the girl yawned and got up.

()()()()()

"Oh my…" Tinya said with a yawn as she got up. "Just what I needed. I wonder if the children are-"

Tinya then looked down and gasped in pleasant surprise as she saw the children.

"Oh you're so cute." Tinya said like a babysitter. The children then stood up, and she saw that they were in several outfits. Maybe they were play acting. "How are you?" Tinya asked, but none of them answered. "I said 'How are you?'"

"How are we what?" Said a boy dressed in navy blue with a lightning bolt scar over his right eye.

"Oh you can talk!" Tinya said excitedly. "I'm so glad!"

"Now do not tell me who you are, let me guess." Tinya said. "Now you…" She said as she looked at a boy who was dressed in purple. "You're… Cosmic Boy."

"Oh, yes." Cosmic Boy said with a nervous smile.

Tinya then looked at a boy who appeared to be half-machine, and it clicked instantly.

"You are Brainiac 5." Tinya said.

"Y-yeah." Brainiac 5 said as he blushed.

"And you…" Tinya said as she looked at a girl with black hair, purple eyes, and a green dress with black gloves. "You're… Shrinking Violet?"

"How'd you guess?" Shrinking Violet asked.

"I just kinda took a stab at it." Tinya said. She then turned to a boy in a blue jump suit with a red cape and the letter S on his chest. "And you're Superboy."

"Yeah." Superboy said as he smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"And you're…" Tinya said as she turned to a girl with long blond hair.

"Saturn Girl, ma'am." Saturn Girl said. "And this is Chameleon Boy."

"Hi." Chameleon Boy said nervously.

"Don't worry, he's shy around strangers." Saturn Girl explained.

"Oh, that is too bad." Tinya said as she smiled, and Chameleon Boy smiled nervously as well. She then turned to the last boy. He folded his arms moodily, but not before Tinya saw the images of lightning bolts on his shirt.

"Oh…" Tinya said deepening her voice to try and get the boy to smile. "You must be Lightning Lad."

"She's good at this." Cosmic Boy said.

"We know who we are." Lightning Lad said shortly. "What we don't know is who _you_ are and what _you're_ doing here."

"Oh how silly of me." Tinya said as she blushed. "I am Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl."

"Tinya?!" Everyone asked. "The princess?!"

"Yeah." Tinya said with a smile.

"Well your highness." Cosmic Boy said respectively. "We're honored hosts. We're… Uh…"

"Mad as hornets!" Lightning Lad interrupted.

"Mad as hornets!" John said before shaking his head.

"Wait, no we're not." John said. "Ah, what was I saying?!"

"Nothing, just sputtering like an idiot as usual!" Lightning Lad said.

"Hey who's sputtering like an idiot!" Cosmic Boy asked angrily.

"That's enough you two." Superboy said as he flew in-between the two.

"I say we tell her to get out." Lightning Lad said.

"Please don't send me away." Tinya pleaded. "If you do, she'll kill me."

"Kill you?" Superboy asked.

"Who?" Cosmic Boy asked.

"My step-mother Queen Falyce." Tinya stated.

"Falyce?!" Everyone asked.

"She's wicked!" Brainiac 5 said.

"She's bad!" Saturn Girl agreed.

"She's mean!" Superboy added.

"She's a vain and power-hungry witch." Lightning Lad said calmly. "I'm warning all of you. If Falyce finds out she's here, on this planet, she'll tear the whole place apart just because of Tinya being here."

"But she doesn't even know where I am." Tinya said.

"Oh yeah?" Lightning Lad asked. "Well from all the stories I've heard, she has enough black magic to easily figure out where someone is, and it doesn't take magic to make someone invisible. For all we know she's in this room right now."

"Oh my god!" Chameleon Boy said before he looked down Saturn Girl's shirt to look for Blackfire, and Saturn Girl punched him in the face.

"Oh she'd never find me here." Tinya said cheerfully. "And if you let me stay, I'll do the cleaning for you. I can wash, sow, sweep, cook-"

"COOK?!" Everyone said at the same time as they were tired of Lightning Lad and Superboy buying them cereal from some town.

"Can you make apple dumplings?" Cosmic Boy asked.

"Yes." Tinya said. "And plum pudding, and goose berry pie-"

"GOOSE BERRY PIE?!" Everyone called out. "Hooray! She stays!"

Lightning Lad rubbed his temples. He didn't think any good would come out of this.

* * *

Well Lightning Lad's trusting, isn't he?


	6. Washing Up Before Supper

Chapter 6: Washing Up Before Supper

All the talk about cooking reminded Tinya about the pot she'd put on the stove. She flew down and opened it up as she took a sip of what she was making.

The seven children then walked out and sniffed.

"SOUP!" They called out and rushed down. They then sat down and fought over the bread, except Chameleon Boy, who was fighting to try and get a seat.

"Uh-uh-uh." Tinya said, before anyone could have a bite. "Wait a moment. Supper's not quite ready yet, so you'll have just enough time to wash."

"Wash?" Everyone asked. They'd only washed about once a week as that seemed enough.

"I knew there was a catch." Lightning Lad muttered.

"Why do we gotta wash?" Brainiac 5 asked the gang in low voices, so Starfire wouldn't hear.

"We're not going anywhere." Saturn Girl said.

"It's not New Year or Christmas." Cosmic Boy agreed.

"Oh, have you washed already?" Tinya asked.

"Uh… Yes." Cosmic Boy said.

"Okay, when?" Tinya asked with her hands on her hips.

"When?" Cosmic Boy asked. "When? Um… Last week, no month, no I mean… Recently."

"Yes." They all said. "Recently."

"Oh, recently." Tinya said with a coy smile. "Then let me see your hands."

They all gulped and held their hands behind their backs.

"Let me see your hands." Tinya said firmly as if she was their mother.

Cosmic Boy sighed and removed his gloves to show fairly dirty hands.

"Why Cosmic Boy." Tinya said. "I'm surprised at you."

"Ah… Well…" Cosmic Boy said nervously.

"Come on, let's see them." Tinya said, and Brainiac 5 showed fairly dirty hands.

"Oh Brainy, if you don't wash your hands, how do you expect to keep working?" Tinya asked. "And you, Superboy?"

Superboy then showed his hands to be among the dirtiest ones so far.

"Tch, tch, tch." Tinya said.

Before she got to her, Saturn Girl rubbed her hands against her pants and showed them to her, sure that it would work.

"It's worse than I thought." Tinya said as she looked at Saturn Girl's _extra_ dirty hands.

Chameleon Boy eagerly took off his gloves to show her, and they were, maybe the cleanest, but still very dirty.

Shrinking Violet then showed her hands, and for someone who spent most of their day holding a book, it was hard to believe how dirty they'd gotten.

"How shocking!" Tinya exclaimed before Saturn Girl looked down and hid her hands behind her back. "This'll never do. Now you kids go straight outside and wash, or you will not get a bite to eat."

"Let's go." Cosmic Boy said dejectedly.

Everyone except Lightning Lad left, with Chameleon Boy slamming into wall because he was looking more at Tinya.

"Well," Tinya asked. "Aren't you going to wash?"

Lightning Lad just turned his head away. Who did she think she was, his mother? She was only a few years older than him.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" Tinya asked with a smile, and Lightning Lad just walked out to get away from her for a few minutes.

He then ended up slamming his face into a door.

"Oh, did you hurt yourself?" Tinya asked, but Lightning Lad just kept walking until he was out of the house. "Aliens!" He muttered.

()()()()()

"Okay guys, courage." Cosmic Boy said. "Don't be nervous."

"Are we really gonna do this?" Brainiac 5 asked.

"Well, it'll please Starfire." Cosmic Boy said.

"I'm sure she has our best interests at heart." Saturn Girl said.

"Me too." Everyone else agreed.

"I'm telling you guys," Lightning Lad said. "Give that girl an inch, and she'll walk all over you."

"Ah, don't listen to that sour puss." Cosmic Boy said dismissively. "Come on, guys."

"How hard should we scrub?" Superboy asked.

"Will our fingers shrink?" Shrinking Violet asked with a yawn.

"Should we get in the tub?" Chameleon Boy asked.

"Should we wash where it doesn't show?" Brainiac 5 asked.

"Now don't get excited, here we go." Cosmic Boy explained.

 _Step up to the tub._

 _It's not a disgrace._

 _Just pull up your sleeves,_

 _And get 'em in place._

 _Then scoop up the water,_

 _And rub it on your face,_

 _And go, blurb, blurb, blurb!_

Cosmic Boy went first to demonstrate, and everyone else did as he did.

 _Pick up the soap,_

 _Now don't try to bluff._

 _Work up a lather,_

 _And when you get enough,_

 _Get a handful of water._

 _You snout and you snout,_

 _And so, blurb, blurb, blurb._

 _Get doused and soused._

 _Rub and scrub._

 _Splutter and splash all over the tub._

 _You may be cold and wet when you're done,_

 _But you've gotta admit, it's gonna be fun._

A fly came around Raven and she tricked it into going onto the soap where it ended up looking like Santa clause because of the suds.

 _So splash with all your might._

 _It's not any trick._

 _As soon as you're through,_

 _You'll feel mighty slick._

" _You bunch of nanny goats make me sick going, blurb, blurb, blurb!"_ Lightning Lad stated.

They then washed up their hair after washing their hands and faces as they figured they should do it right, but they'd save a proper bath for tomorrow evening.

"Next thing you know, she'll be having us dress up in sailor outfits or pink dresses, as the case may be, and squirt us all with that perfume stuff." Lightning Lad said.

"I don't wanna wear pink." Shrinking Violet said.

"Oh don't listen to Garth." Saturn Girl said. "He's just being a big grump."

Chameleon Boy then turned into a baby elephant to blow out all the water he'd accidentally swallowed.

"A nice group of water-lilies you guys turned out to be." Lightning Lad said with a smirk as Cosmic Boy looked up. "I'd like to see anybody make me wash if I didn't wanna."

Cosmic Boy then smiled mischievously as he whispered to the others. They all smiled and walked up to Batboy as they whistled.

"GET HIM!" Cosmic Boy shouted out, and they all held Lightning Lad up as Superboy, Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5, and Cosmic Boy held his limbs, so he couldn't get away.

"Hey let me go!" Lightning Lad called out.

"Chameleon Boy, set the soap." Cosmic Boy said.

"Okay!" Chameleon Boy said as he ran off. He grabbed the soap and was about to bring it when it slipped out of his hand, and he tried to catch it before it knocked him in the head. He then turned into a lion and tried to pounce on it, but it just slipped and went into his mouth as he turned back to normal. "Ah man!" Chameleon Boy called out. "And I didn't even say anything bad!"

He then hiccupped as several soap bubbles popped up.

Meanwhile, everyone else was giving Lightning Lad a nice hands and face washing.

 _Now scrub good and hard._

 _It can't be denied,_

 _That he'll look might cool,_

 _As soon as he's dried._

 _With a scrap and a howl,_

 _And a blurb, blurb, blurb!_

Lightning Lad was then let out as everyone laughed.

"He smells like a petunia." Superboy said with a laugh that was shared with everyone else.

"You sure look cute, Garth!" Saturn Girl teased as she put his mask back on.

"Oh, you're all gonna pay for this!" Lightning Lad shouted.

"Supper!" Tinya called out from the house.

"Supper!" They all called out and ran off, leaving Lightning Lad woozy by the tub.

"Eh." Lightning Lad said after a while and walked in.

()()()()()

Falyce walked back to the mirror that very night as Hawkman gave her the box with her heart in it.

"Oh mirror, mirror, on the wall, who _now_ is the fairest one of all?" Falyce asked with a smug smile.

"Far off on the planet Earth, beyond the Seventh Fall, in the cottage of the Young Legion dwells Tinya. The fairest one of all." Slade said.

"Tinya's dead in a forest." Falyce said with a smirk. "Hawkman, Katar Hol, had brought me prove." Falyce opened the box and showed it to the mirror. "Behold, her heart."

"Starfire still lives, the fairest in the land." Slade insisted. "It's the heart of a pig you hold in your hands."

"The heart of a pig?!" Falyce shouted as she threw the box down. "That hawk tricked me!"

Falyce then walked down a secret flight of stairs to her lab as her servant from Earth, Tharok waited.

"Whoa, who spit in your caviar?" Tharok asked.

"Shut up!" Falyce said. "That sentimental fool gave me the heart of a pig instead of Tinya's! Looks like if I want someone killed around here, I'll have to do it myself! I'll go to the brats' cottage in such a perfect disguise that no one will ever suspect it's me."

"How perfect?" Tharok asked.

"A potion." Falyce said as she took a book labeled _Disguises_. "A potion to turn my beauty into a grimace. To change my queenly array into a peddler's cloak."

Falyce found a perfect little recipe. It also had a 72 hour limit, which would give her time to make a perfect way to kill Starfire, and she'd just turn back to her beautiful self afterwards.

"Mummy dust, to make me old." Falyce said as she grabbed said dust from a drawer. "To shroud my clothes, the black of night."

Falyce put in the mummy dust and added a pitch black liquid that easily became the dominant color.

"To age my voice, an old hag's cackle." Falyce said as she turned on a burner underneath a phial that held a red liquid. After it had been turned on, a bit of the red liquid shot up and laughed like an old crone and entered the goblet Falyce had put the potion into. This turned the potion red.

"To whiten my hair, a scream of fright!" Falyce turned the knob on a faucet, and a white substance poured out as a scream echoed throughout the chamber, and the potion was now a venomous green.

"A blast of wind to fan my age!" As Falyce held the goblet to the window and wind suddenly blew through it, and over the goblet. "And a thunderbolt to mix it well!"

As if on cue, a thunderbolt sounded as the potion rippled and bubbled.

"Now…" Falyce said calmly. "Begin thy magic spell."

Falyce then consumed the concoction and gasped. The room appeared to be spinning, she saw her hair flying around her face and glimpsed it turning white as salt.

"My hands!" Falyce called out as she looked at her hands and saw them become incredibly thin and claw-like. Her clothes also turned into a black musty cloak, and her very skin turned incredibly pale.

Falyce sighed, hoping for the seventy-two hours to pass quickly and heard her own sigh.

"My voice." She croaked. Her voice had become high and raspy. "My voice…"

Falyce laughed. The potion had worked. She looked into a mirror and saw an old hag with bulging green eyes and a long hook nose with a large wart on it.

"Yes!" Falyce called out. "A perfect disguise!"

Falyce turned to Tharok who backed into a wall.

"HOLY CAP!" Tharok called out.

"And now…" Falyce said as she pulled out a book on death potions. "A special sort of death for one so fair."

"AH!" She called out very soon. "A poisoned apple. Laced with the draught of the sleeping death."

"Huh?" Tharok asked.

"'One taste of the poisoned apple, and the victim's eyes will close forever in the sleeping death…'" Falyce said as she looked up and smirked wickedly. The Wicked Witch of the West had nothing on her.


	7. Someday My Prince Will Come

Chapter Seven: Someday My Prince Will Come

That night, after dinner, which even Lightning Lad had to admit was delicious, the kids showed Tinya what they did after coming home from mines, have fun. They each played an instrument they did best with and simply sung nonsense, with Lightning Lad playing the organ that Tinya saw earlier.

Saturn Girl then walked up and smiled.

" _I like to dance and tap my feat, but they won't keep in rhythm_." She sang. " _You see I washed them both today, and can't do a thing with them._ "

Everyone then chuckled at the choke and sang out,

 _Oh hum,da-doo-lee-dum!_

 _The words don't mean a thing!_

 _Isn't this a silly song for anyone to sing?_

Chameleon Boy then used several pots and pans as drums and did a nice trick where he pounded on the drums before hitting a cymbal with an elephant trunk. Brainiac 5 then stood up.

"I…" He began. "Uh…"

Lightning Lad then blew a loud note, and that snapped Brainiac 5 to the alert.

" _I chased a pole cat up a tree._ " Brainiac 5 said. " _Way out upon a limb, and when he got the best of me, I got the worst of him._ "

 _Oh hum, da-doo-lee-dum!_

 _The words don't mean a thing!_

 _Isn't this a silly song for anyone to sing?_

As the music continued, Shrinking Violet was pestered by that fly again.

"Hey, go away!" She said.

The fly then bothered Chameleon Boy who ended up quickening the beat in his effort to get the fly. He only ended up panting as the fly landed on Shrinking Violet's nose. She then made to swat it as Chameleon Boy gave her a cymbal, but she only succeeded in giving herself a big headache.

"Why you…" Shrinking Violet said angrily, and Chameleon Boy ended up with a very bad wedgie.

Tinya then danced with each of the kids, except Lightning Lad in turn.

Chameleon Boy then got on top of Superboy with a long cloak.

"Hey watch it!" Superboy said. "Don't tickle my nose!"

Chameleon Boy made sure to keep his feat still as he put the cloak over the two, with Chameleon Boy as the arms and legs and Superboy as the legs. They then walked up to Tinya, and she danced around a little, with Chameleon Boy only nearly falling off once before he was pulled back up by Superboy.

The dance went on and everyone had a great time until they heard a sneeze building up from underneath Chameleon Boy's feat.

"Uh-oh." Chameleon Boy said.

"Duck and cover!" Lightning Lad called out, and everyone hid behind the organ.

"Mommy." Chameleon Boy squeaked as Superboy sneezed, and Chameleon Boy flew up into the ceiling and floated back down as a bird before turning back to normal.

Everyone laughed, and Tinya sat down.

"That was fun." Tinya said with a smile.

"Now it's your turn to do something." Saturn Girl said.

"What should I do?" Tinya asked.

"Tell us a story." Shrinking Violet said.

"Yes, tell us a story!" The others called out.

"A true story!" Brainiac 5 said.

"A love story!" Saturn Girl said as she looked at Lightning Lad, who didn't return the gaze, but everyone saw a pink tinge in what they could see of his face.

"Well…" Tinya said before she remembered the day she met Robin. "Once there was a princess."

"Was the princess you?" Cosmic Boy asked.

"And she fell in love." Tinya said with a nod.

"Was it hard to do?" Superboy asked.

"It was very easy." Tinya said with a laugh. "Anyone could see that the prince was charming. The only one for me."

"Was he strong and handsome?" Cosmic Boy asked puffing out his chest.

"Was he big and tall?" Superboy asked as he flew up.

"There's nobody like him anywhere at all." Tinya said dreamily.

"Did he say he loved you?" Brainiac 5 asked.

"Did he steal a kiss?" Saturn Girl asked.

" _He was so romantic, I could not resist._ " Tinya sang out.

Everyone except Lightning Lad then sat down as Lightning Lad leaned against a corner.

 _Someday, my prince will come._

 _Someday, we'll meet again._

 _And away to his castle we'll go,_

 _To be happy forever, I know._

"Hmph." Lightning Lad muttered. "Mush."

Saturn Girl then managed to pull herself away from the story and pulled Lightning Lad over to Tinya, with Lightning Lad blushing even more.

 _Someday when spring is here,_

 _We'll find our love anew._

Shrinking Violet was beginning to fall to sleep, just as if she was listening to a lullaby, even though she tried to resist it.

 _And the birds will sing,_

 _And wedding bells will ring,_

 _Someday when my dreams come true…_

Everyone then sighed as a clock began to chime eleven.

"Oh look at the time." Tinya said. "It must be way past all of our bedtimes."

"But I'm not sleepy…" Shrinking Violet said as she yawned.

"Oh yes you are." Tinya said as she picked Shrinking Violet up.

"No I'm not." Shrinking Violet said as she made another yawn.

"Now, all of you, go to your room." Tinya said kindly.

"Wait a second." Cosmic Boy said. "We can pretty much sleep anywhere. The princess will sleep in our room tonight."

"But where will you be doing the sleeping?" Tinya asked.

"Oh, we'll be fine down here." Cosmic Boy said.

"In a pig's eye." Lightning Lad muttered.

"Hey, stop that!" Cosmic Boy said. "Don't worry. We'll be comfortable down here. Won't we, guys?"

"Oh yeah." They all said as Chameleon Boy grabbed a pillow and prepared to go to sleep on a bench.

"Don't worry about us." Saturn Girl said. "We'll be alright."

"Go right on up." Cosmic Boy said.

"Well…" Tinya said. "If you insist. Good night."

"Good night princess." The children said.

"Are you sure you'll be comfortable?" Tinya.

"We'll be fine." Superboy said.

"Well, have pleasant dreams then." Tinya said as she went inside.

Once Tinya closed the door, they all headed for the pillow.

Unfortunately, it ended up ripping because everyone had dived at it. Chameleon Boy shrugged and turned himself into a dog as he went back to sleep on the bench.

()()()()()

In the children's room, Tinya was saying her evening prayers.

"Bless Katar Hol for saving my life, and please help my sister overcome her anger." Tinya prayed. "Bless the seven little children who have been so kind to me, and may all my dreams come true. Also, please help Lightning Lad find it in his heart to like me. Amen."

Tinya then went to sleep on the same three beds she had taken her nap in.

()()()()()

"Women!" Lightning Lad said as he tried to get himself comfortable in the pot that Tinya's soup had been before he felt something poking in his back and pulled out the ladle. "This has been a fine kettle of fish."

He tossed the ladle onto the floor and began to go to sleep.

Brainiac 5 was recharging near a drawer. Saturn Girl was sleeping on top of the drawer. Cosmic Boy was sleeping in the sink, getting a small drop of water in his mouth too. Superboy was sleeping on top of Chameleon Boy, but he woke up when Chameleon Boy was whimpering like the dog he turned himself into before Superboy poked him in the hind leg, and he went back to sleeping peacefully.

Lightning Lad went back to sleep as he was used to their snores by now, but the only thing he wasn't used to was someone whimpering, and Shrinking Violet did just that. She was fretting like a toddler as she squirmed in bed. Lightning Lad easily knew what had happened. Shrinking Violet's stuffed rabbit, Bunny, was upstairs in the bed room. Normally, if Shrinking Violet didn't have Bunny, Lightning Lad or Saturn Girl would go and get it for her, but Saturn Girl was out like a light, and Lightning Lad didn't feel like looking for a stuffed rabbit up in the bed room with Tinya there, so he just got out of the pot, walked up to Chameleon Boy and tickled his nose from a stray feather from the pillow. He sneezed and inadvertently turned into a bunny. Lightning Lad then picked Chameleon Boy up and put him in Shrinking Violet's arms, as they both slept contentedly while Shrinking Violet petted Chameleon Boy.

Finally with some variation of peace and quiet by now, Lightning Lad hopped back into the pot and fell asleep.

()()()()()

Meanwhile, the old hag that would be Falyce for the next few days dipped an apple into a potion she had spent several hours making.

"Dip the apple in the brew." Falyce chanted. "Let the sleeping death seep through."

She then picked the apple up, and it had turned black with the green potion clinging to it dripped away until it made a skull image.

"Yes!" Falyce said wickedly. "Under skin, a symbol of what lies within. Now turn red to tempt Tinya and make her hunger and savor."

Falyce then smirked and looked at the now beautifully red apple in her hand, sort of an opposite of her. Something ugly disguised as something delicious.

Falyce chuckled and got a mischievous look on her artificially aged face.

"Have a bit, sweetie!" Falyce said as she shoved the apple into Tharok's face.

"BWAH!" Tharok said as he backed away.

"Oh, you know it's not for you." Falyce said as she tickled Tharok's chin with her claw like finger. "It's for Tinya. When she breaks the tender skin to taste this apple, her breast will still, her blood congeal, and I'll be the fairest in the land!"

"As soon as that disguise wears off." Tharok said before Falyce starred him down.

"Wait a minute." Falyce said as a sudden thought crossed her mind. "There may be an antidote. Nothing can be over-looked!"

Falyce looked at her book again and found what she was looking for.

"Here it is!" Falyce said. "'The victim of the sleeping death can be revived only by love's first kiss.' 'Love's first kiss'? Falyce said with a sneer before closing the book. "No fear of that. Those brats will think she's just dead. She'll end up buried alive!"

She then walked down a secret stairway.

"Sweet Neptune, what's that girl's problem?!" Tharok asked as the door closed.

()()()()()

Falyce then made her way to a secret ship as she looked at a long dead captive of the dungeon that appeared to be reaching for water.

"Thirsty?" Falyce asked the skeleton that was left of the prisoner. "Have a drink!"

Falyce then kicked the jug, and the skeleton smashed to pieces. She then got onto the ship and rested as she thought about what she would do once Tinya was out of the way. Maybe she'd seduce that little beau Tinya met just to spite her soon to be buried alive step-daughter.

In a few days, Falyce landed on Earth and saw the ruined husk of the boar Katar Hol had killed to trick Falyce. She'd deal with the Thanagarian and his family after this. She only had about five hours left before the disguise wore off, and she knew Tinya would never _accept_ an apple from _her_.

* * *

Aw… Lightning Lad has a heart.

Lightning Lad: Shut up!


	8. The Wishing Apple

Chapter Eight: The Wishing Apple

A few days later, the kids left to dig up more diamonds. The last couple of days had been very nice and peaceful. Lightning Lad had consented to teaching Tinya how to play the organ, Superboy had finally managed to get over his hay fever and regain control over his super breath, Shrinking Violet had become much more open to Tinya, and Saturn Girl kept making googily eyes at Lightning Lad every night and referring to him as Garth.

"Ha-ha!" Chameleon Boy had laughed. "Garth?"

"You wanna make something of it, _Reep_?" Lightning Lad had said back.

Today, they all prepared to leave as they needed some more diamonds for money.

"Now don't forget Tinya," Cosmic Boy had said. "Falyce's sly and full of witchcraft, so beware of strangers."

"Don't worry." Tinya said with a smile. "I'll be alright."

Tinya then kissed Cosmic Boy on the head.

"See you tonight, and remember to wash up before dinner." Tinya said.

"Uh… Yes…" Cosmic Boy gasped with a nervous smile. "Come on, guys."

"I hope you'll be really careful." Brainiac 5 said. "Why if anything happened-"

Tinya then kissed him on the head, and he blushed so much, you'd think he had more blood than he actually did.

"Good-bye." Tinya said cheerfully.

"Ah, gee!" Brainiac 5 said as he walked off.

"That is disgusting." Lightning Lad muttered from the back of the line.

"And be sure to watch out." Superboy said as he left, and Tinya kissed him. "Thanks."

Chameleon Boy later came up and tugged on Tinya's cape as he puckered up. Tinya smiled kindly, gently bent Chameleon Boy's head down, and kissed him. He then left and came back just a few moments later.

"Oh alright." Tinya said with a chuckle as she kissed him on the head. "But that's the last-"

Chameleon Boy then ran off like a cheetah and came back as one too, except as a cub.

"Oh, run along." Tinya said with a chuckle, and Chameleon Boy went off.

"Bye." Shrinking Violet said as she was holding _The Magician's Nephew_ in her hand. "Now remember, you promised we could talk about this book when we get home."

"Yes, I remember." Tinya said before kissing Shrinking Violet on the cheek and she walked off.

Lightning Lad took his mask off and put up some stray bangs before putting his mask back on.

Saturn Girl then received a kiss on the cheek and walked off as she helped Shrinking Violet along.

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's off to work we go._

Lightning Lad then coughed to let Tinya know he was there.

"Now I'm warning you." Lightning Lad said as he removed his mask. "Don't let anyone or _anything_ in this house unless you know them like the back of your hand."

"Why Lightning Lad," Tinya said with a smile. "You do care."

Tinya then kissed Lightning Lad on the forehead, and he put his mask back on and walked off before he stopped and smiled a little. It was just like what his mom had done when he was the real Bruce Wayne. He shook his head and walked off.

()()()()()

Falyce walked slowly to the cottage as she chuckled to herself. Only an hour left, and Tinya was an easy five minutes' walk away.

"Those little brats won't be at home." Falyce chuckled evilly. "And she'll be on her own. With a harmless old peddler woman." She chuckled again. "A _harmless_ old peasant woman."

()()()()()

Tinya decided to use this time to make some goose-berry pies for the children as a surprise and began making the last one after putting the other six on the table.

 _Someday my prince will come._

 _Someday we'll meet again._

 _And away to his castle we'll go._

 _To be happy forever I know._

She then placed the top of the pie on the last one and cut off the excess with a small knife. After that, she put the crust she cut off and put it on top of the pie, so that it spelled, "Lightning Lad".

 _Someday, when Spring is near,_

 _We'll find our love anew,_

 _And the birds will sing,_

 _And wedding bells will ring._

 _Someday, when my dreams come true…_

Tinya then looked up and gasped as she saw an old woman with a long hooked nose, greasy white hair, and bulging green eyes. Out of her black cloak, Tinya saw two hands that were so skinny that they looked more like claws.

"All alone my dear?" The old woman asked in a high raspy voice that seemed slightly familiar to Tinya.

"Uh…" Tinya said nervously. "Well yes I am."

"What?" The woman said in surprise. "But you're only a girl, you can't be older than sixteen. Aren't either of your parents or any little brothers or sisters around?"

"Well, my parents died when I was still a little girl." Tinya said. "But the children are away for a little while."

"Hmm…" The old woman said. "Making pies?"

"Yes, goose-berry." Tinya said. "They're the children's favorite."

"Then they haven't tried apple pies." Falyce said with a smile. "They can make any little child's mouth water. Made from nice apples, like these."

The old woman picked up an apple that was so beautifully red that Tinya couldn't help staring at it.

"They look delicious." Tinya said.

"Yes, but wait until you taste it." The old woman said sweetly. "Would you like to try one? Go on… Go on and have a bite."

Before Tinya could grab the apple, the birds began attacking the poor old woman.

"Hey, you leave her alone!" Tinya said as she threw a small star bolt into the air to frighten them off. "You should be ashamed of yourselves for attacking a poor old helpless lady like that!"

The woman made sure the apple was still alright, and Tinya put her arms on her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" Tinya asked.

"Oh, my heart!" The woman said as she clutched her chest. "My poor heart. Get me into the house and give me a drink of water."

"Oh, of course." Tinya said as she helped the old woman inside.

()()()()()

The animals looked into the window and saw Tinya go off to get the old hag some water. They could tell that something wasn't quite right about her, and they saw her look at the apple and then at Tinya, and they knew something terrible would happen if she ate it. They then ran off towards a diamond mine where they knew the children were.

()()()()()

The children arrived at the mine and were about to get to work. They began to push a small track car full of any digging equipment they'd need, and Chameleon Boy accidentally shoved Shrinking Violet inside.

"Ouch!" Shrinking Violet said.

"Sorry." Chameleon Boy said meekly.

Suddenly, several animals arrived and began pulling at their capes and hair like there was no tomorrow.

"Get out of here!" Lightning Lad said as he swatted some birds away.

"Hey, let go!" Chameleon Boy shouted as several birds were beginning to pull him away.

"What's going on here?!" Cosmic Boy shouted as a doe was shoving Cosmic Boy away from the mine.

"They've gone crazy!" Brainiac 5 called out.

"No kidding." Superboy said as he blew, and the birds and squirrels that were pulling on his cape and feet were blown away, but they came right back.

()()()()()

Tinya had given the lady a drink of water, and she smiled kindly like a grandmother… Or at least how Tinya imagined grandmothers smiled as she never saw one.

"And because you've been so good to dear old Granny," the lady said kindly. "I'll let you in on a secret. This is no ordinary apple. It's a magic wishing apple."

"A wishing apple?" Tinya asked in awe.

"Yes." The lady said. "One bite, and all your dreams come true."

"Really?" Tinya asked as she thought of Robin and how she could finally be with him.

"Yes deary." The lady said. "Now make a wish and take a bite."

()()()()()

"Hey go away!" Saturn Girl shouted as a dear was holding her in his antlers and shoving her forward. "What's wrong with them?!"

"I don't know, but they're not acting like this for nothing." Lightning Lad said as he zapped away several birds that nearly pulled his gloves off.

"Uh-oh." Shrinking Violet said as she finally managed to get herself out of the car. "What is that mean queen, Falyce's got Tinya?"

"Falyce?!" They all called out in alarm. "Tinya!"

"Falyce will kill her!" Lightning Lad called out in alarm. "We've gotta save her!"

"Yeah, we've gotta save her!" Cosmic Boy shouted.

"She'll kill her!" Superboy shouted.

"What do we do?!" Saturn Girl asked.

"We go back to the house and save her!" Lightning Lad said, and Superboy, Saturn Girl, Shrinking Violet, and Cosmic Boy flew off as Lightning Lad and Brainiac 5 rode on the stag and the doe while Chameleon Boy turned into a cheetah and ran off.

()()()()()

"There must be something your heart desires." The lady said. "Maybe someone you love?"

"Well, yes." Tinya said as she blushed.

"I thought so." The lady said with a laugh. "Old Granny knows a young girl's heart. Now take the apple deary and make your wish."

"I wish…" Tinya began.

"That's it." The lady said. "Go on. Don't be afraid."

()()()()()

Getting to the cottage proved much more difficult than they thought, especially for the people who were flying as their outfits got on low hanging branches, and twice, Chameleon Boy nearly fell to his death when he ran into a large gorge, but managed to survive by turning into an eagle.

()()()()()

"And that he'll carry me away to his home, and we'll live happily ever after." Tinya said with a smile.

"Excellent wish my dear." Granny said. "Now take a bite."

()()()()()

The children hurried on as fast as they could.

()()()()()

"Don't let the wish grow cold." Falyce said as all _her_ dreams were about to come true.

Tinya bit into the apple, and she smiled for a minute before staggering and holding her head.

"Oh… I feel strange." Tinya said weakly.

"Her breath will still." Falyce said with a wicked smile as her fist began to become fuller and orange. "Her blood congeal."

Tinya fell to the ground asleep, but to all but the most observant, dead, and at that moment, the disguise wore off, and Falyce was her lovely self again.

"NOW I'LL BE FAIREST IN THE LAND!" Falyce called out with wicked glee.

* * *

Oh dear…


	9. Let the Punishment Fit the Crime

Chapter Nine: Let the Punishment Fit the Crime

Falyce walked out as a storm quickly started. She was still laughing to herself when she saw seven children in odd outfits coming this way.

"And of course, something has to happen to complicate things." Falyce said and she flew off to a place where she could have more room to fight and eventually landed at the peak of a mountain.

The children followed after her, and she put her hand by a boulder.

"Let's see how badly I can crush their bones." Falyce said with a smirk, and she pushed the boulder.

"Look out!" A boy with a navy blue outfit called out. As the boulder came at them, a boy in blue flew up and smashed the boulder to pieces.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Falyce said as her eyes glowed green. She then flew up as a bolt of lightning broke the ledge she was standing on and illuminated her face. "You know, my ex-husband doesn't believe in spankings, but I'm more of a fan of physical punishments. They really drive the message home."

Falyce then fired a green blast of energy from her hand.

"Hide!" The boy in navy blue called out, and all seven children hid behind a wall.

"Come on out, kiddies." Falyce said with a smirk. "We're not playing hide-and-seek you know."

()()()()()

Lightning Lad gathered everyone around.

"Okay, our only chance to stop her is to surround her." Lightning Lad explained. Clark, you, Imra, Rokk, and Salu fly up, and cover her from behind. Brainy, Chameleon Boy, and I attack from the front."

"Yeah!" Rokk said.

They split up as the ground unit ran up and dodged Falyce's attacks while Brainy and Lightning Lad attacked with lightning and exploding disks respectively. Falyce defended herself very well when the kids flew up, and Superboy tapped her shoulder.

"What?!" Falyce asked, and Superboy punched her in the face.

"How could you?!" Falyce cried out. "I'm a woman!"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Superboy said. "I…"

"Clark, look out!" Lightning Lad said as he tied up Falyce's hands with a grappling line, and Saturn Girl pulled her crown over her eyes.

"Hey, I can't see!" Falyce said.

"That's the point." Lightning Lad said. "And I have a nearby friend who can give you your just deserts."

They took the newly bound-up Falyce to an imposing house as Lightning Lad knocked, and Etrigan, the Demon, came out.

"What?" Etrigan asked.

"Etrigan, this lady killed Tinya." Lightning Lad explained. "Superboy saw her body as we chased after her."

"Hmm…" Etrigan said. "I've heard a great deal about you, Falyce. I've heard how vain and arrogant you are, and I've also heard of your jealousy of your step-daughter."

"Let me go!" Falyce called out as she turned her head in the direction of Etrigan.

"Very well." Etrigan said. "But only after your punishment for your crime starts."

Etrigan picked Falyce up as easily as if she was a new born baby. He then chanted, and Falyce disappeared.

"What did you do to her?" Lightning Lad asked.

"I sent her to limbo for a few weeks for some _just deserts_." Etrigan said.

"Eh?" Chameleon Boy asked.

"Come on…" Superboy said. "We better… We better pay our respects to Tinya."

Everyone looked down and walked off.

()()()()()

Falyce found herself in a blue infinite limbo. She looked around when she looked at a mirror.

Her face looked normal, then slowly and surely her hair fell out, her face was full of wrinkles, her nose grew long, and she seemed to have aged as everyone she ever saw recoiled at the sight of her.

"No!" She called out when suddenly, she returned to normal, but everyone still acted like she was as they just saw her, much to Falyce's confusion. She looked around, trying to figure out what had happened.

Etrigan had put her in a universe where everyone would treat her as she was on the inside until she learned to be compassionate to people, and she would be in there for a long, long while.

* * *

Yeah… I like Falyce too much to kill her off. I just see so much good she could do.


End file.
